Imperial Starfighter Corps
The Imperial TIE Corps are a vital, but often under-appreciated branch of the Imperial military. Imperial Naval doctrine has for decades called for numerical supremacy in its star-fighters, deploying them as interceptors and ablative protection for cruisers against bomber-craft rather than in a strike role. The TIE/In is simple and cheap to produce, and by removing such luxuries as hyperdrives, life-support systems and deflector shields achieves remarkable performance for its cost. The large scale man-power demands and short life-expectancy of these craft makes the Empire reluctant to invest heavily in training, meaning that most pilots have little experience. History In the wake of the Battle of Yavin as rebel stunt-fighters proved decisive in numerous engagements, Imperial doctrine began to change. The introduction of the TIE Interceptor aimed to close the yawning gap of performance and the subsequent introduction of deflector shields in the Mark II Interceptor finally armed the TIE Corps with a craft that could secure victory when going head to head with rebel starfighters. It is official Imperial policy to phase out the Tie/In in favour of the Mark II Interceptor, but to date this has not been achievable. Instead, those pilots who show exceptional promise are plucked from their veritable space-going coffins, afforded further training and assigned to elite squadrons constituted exclusively by the Mk II Interceptor, stationed aboard most major capital vessels. Player characters in the TIE Corps The vast bulk of the TIE Corps are made up of poorly trained pilots flying the TIE/In. These individually minor, and often short-lived, roles are considered the realm of NPC's. Player characters represent those pilots who have been assigned to the Interceptor squadrons stationed aboard a major Imperial vessel. Having not merely survived combat in hopelessly inferior craft, but achieved remarkable success, these veteran pilots, aces, and form not only the vanguard of the TIE Corps but the last line of defense for their mothership. While pilot positions are open, players in this branch may find it more difficult to interact with other sections of the Empire and of the wider game. We recommend that your concept has reasons to engage in RP beyond starfighter combat. Recruitment The doctrine of numerical superiority places significant demands on recruitment. Sienar Fleet Systems can produce hundreds of TIE/In's in a single day in its vast factories, but they must still be flown by pilots. Any Imperial citizen can apply to join the TIE Corps. A basic standard of physical fitness is required, as TIE fighters do not have in-built life support systems, and most successful applicants have at least some natural talent for, or previous experience of, handling high-speed vehicles. Despite the short life-expectancy of a TIE pilot the role remains a popular one, the product of aggressive propaganda campaigns to maintain the high number of recruits the Imperial war machine requires. Training is factory-like, undertaken at any number of flight schools around the Empire and lasting only a few weeks. Pilots are trained on simulators by batches, most only have a few dozen simulated flight hours under their belts by the time they graduate and receive assignment. Organization The Imperial TIE Corps has long suffered as the unloved child of the Imperial Navy. Although a practical necessity - the lumbering behemoths of the fleet would truly be defenseless without them - little importance is placed upon their role by most naval officers and too few pilots achieve the kind of lofty positions that could resolve that bias. The political class are entirely too wily to risk so vainglorious a death and they have better options open to them. Although strictly speaking a sub-division of the Imperial Navy and subservient to the officers of that august institution, the TIE Corps maintain their own chain of command for tactical reasons. Ranks * Star Marshal ** Head of the TIE Corps * Commodore ** Coordinates and administrates all wings in a given fleet or station. Exact size of command varies * Wing Commander ** Wing, Six Squadrons (72 ships); 1 Interceptor; 3 fighter; 2 bomber * Flight Lieutenant ** Squadron, 2 Flights; 12 Ships, 1 Flight Officer, 10 Pilot Officers * Flight Officer ** Flight: 6 Ships, 5 Pilot Officers * Pilot Officer Protocol Uniform TIE craft do not have life-support, instead pilots wear a vac-sealed flight suit and carry a small personal oxygen supply. While on duty but not in the cockpit, pilots wear their flight suits - albeit unsealed, to reduce response times in a scramble. In other situations, pilots wear the Imperial Duty Uniform for the TIE Corps. Terms of Address The TIE Corps rarely have recruits from the social and political elite of the Empire - they enjoy far safer and more promising careers in the Navy - and so the Corps are often informal amongst themselves. Despite the internal laisezz-faire attitude of the TIE Corps, they are expected to meet Naval standards of discipline and decorum - interactions with or in front of other branches are always cause for formal behavior. Superiors are directly addressed simply as 'Sir' or 'Ma'am' according to their preference and by their designation while in flight 'E.g. Predator Leader' Subordinates typically by their family name or unit designation e.g. 'Jenkins' or 'Predator 3' Equipment Personal A TIE pilot is not expected to engage in personal combat - they are neither trained for it nor is there any reason to eschew starfighters for hand-held blasters in military doctrine and It is rare that a damaged TIE will survive a crash-landing. None the less, flight suits provide a minimal degree of protection and pilots are issued a blaster pistol for personal defense. Ships The following ships are in active use by the whole of the TIE Corps * TIE Interceptor Mark II ** Superiority Fighter * TIE/ln Fighter ** Interceptor * Scimitar Assault Bomber ** Assault Bomber Retired Ships The following ships are no longer in active use throughout the TIE Corps, either due to limited quantities, being rendered obsolete, unreliability or shifts in military doctrine. They may still be encountered in some commands but these are aberrations. * TIE Avenger ** Space Superiority Fighter - Unreliable, project abandoned. * TIE Interceptor ** Space Superiority Fighter - Obsolete in favour of the MK II, remaining units undergoing upgrade. * Skipray Blastboat ** Heavy Assault Bomber - Inconsistent with current doctrine, Scimitar preferred. Notable Members Despite the reputation and enduring status of the TIE Corps as the unfavoured branch, there have been numerous pilots of distinction. Imperial Propaganda grants these figures holo-star levels of notoriety to aid TIE Corps recruitment Pilots are listed in historical order, from newest to oldest *Liza Molokai - Commander of Razor Squadron *Alex Dante - Former Commander of Razor Squadron and CAG aboard the [[I2SD Inquisitor|HIMS Inquisitor]] *Krieg Inrokana - First commander in 15 ABY under the new rank system, commander of Task Force Inquisitor, Former Commander of War Shrike Squadron, 6 confirmed PC kills, 212 confirmed enemy kills *Seifer Wolf - Fomer Commander of Starfighter Operations, Black Squadron, War Shrike Squadron, Lightning Squadron, 5 confirmed PC Kills, 312 confirmed enemy kills *Jal'Dana Rall - Established of the Corps as a separate branch, member of Imperial High Command, 9 confirmed PC kills, 402 confirmed enemy kills *Danik Kreldin - Founder of the Black Stars Squadron, former Commander of Starfighter Operations, KIA as Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy - 578 confirmed enemy kills *Fianar S. Reanus - Co-founder of the Black Stars Squadron, 243 confirmed enemy kills *Chess Hutz - Former Commander of Starfighter Operations *Damon Tyr - Former Commander of Lightning Squadron *Salin Fawzy - Former Commander of Starfighter Operations, Retired as Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy - 491 confirmed enemy kills *Hawke Taren - Former Commander of Starfighter Operations, Retired as Grand General of IGF, 209 confirmed enemy kills *Dixon - Former Commander of Cerebus squadron Former Commanding Officers *Chess Hutz *Salin Fawzy *Hawke Taren *Danik Kreldin Category:Imperial OrganizationsCategory:OccupationsCategory:Pilots